Public inspectors are loyal to you, me

Public safety: Keep inspectors involved

Steve Lee

May 28, 2013Updated: May 28, 2013 2:00pm

In 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake launched more than 10 years of local governmental agency political infighting and indecision regarding whether and how to build a new eastern span for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Caltrans earthquake-strengthened the western span. For the new eastern span, East Bay leaders wanted a more attractive, iconic structure.

As time passed and costs skyrocketed, two governors changed their minds three times after construction already was in progress. Finally, in 2005, the decision was made to build a skyway with one section as a self-anchored suspension bridge. Design and construction resumed, with a bridge opening target date of 2013. Several challenging and unprecedented engineering and construction feats were achieved along the way.

Now, as the eastern span nears its scheduled Labor Day opening, serious design and construction problems or defects are being alleged. Does the fault lie with the private firm that designed the bridge? Are the local or state politicians or agencies to blame? Were there serious construction errors? Or, similar to the alleged defective foundation welds, which turned out to be not defective at all, is the bridge going to be just fine?

One thing is clear. The inspectors on the bridge, the engineers and related professionals employed by Caltrans who are on site during construction operations to be sure the contractor builds the bridge according to plans and specifications, have consistently done their job. Those inspectors, who are paid by and loyal to the public and the traveling motorists, make sure that if there are problems, then they spot and report them. Public inspectors are not out there to cover up, overlook mistakes, or cut corners to make a buck. They're on site to recognize defective work when they see it. In the case of the Bay Bridge, more than 80,000 pages of inspection reports ensure that nothing is missed.

Major infrastructure projects are not always done the right way. In Boston's notorious Big Dig, which placed surface freeways underground, there were no public inspectors on site during construction. Defective design and construction led to a ceiling collapse, a fatality, massive tunnel leaks, and a $2.8 billion project currently costing $24 billion and rising.

Public inspectors were not on site when the Los Angeles Red Line Subway Tunnel was built. The collapse of Hollywood Boulevard into the tunnel finally alerted the public that something was wrong. The 12-inch concrete walls the design called for were substantially thinner than that in some places, an impermeable membrane leaked toxic liquids like a sieve, and defective materials were used throughout, but by then it was too late to make adequate repairs or corrections.

California has two major projects on the horizon. One is high-speed rail. The selected contractor is the same one who built the Red Line Subway. His proposed contract says he will inspect and "self-certify" his own work. Another enormous project is the proposed twin tunnels to take water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and pump it into the aqueduct that feeds much of California's agriculture and the southern part of the state.

In both of these major infrastructure undertakings, public inspectors, loyal to you and me, are essential.

Any problem with the Bay Bridge can be repaired because public inspectors detected the flaws, even though their concerns may not have been addressed expeditiously.

Will the decision-makers for the delta tunnels and the high-speed rail learn from this experience? Will they use public inspectors during construction with the authority to reject defective work, with inspection reports as a public record? Or will they repeat the mistakes of the Big Dig and the Red Line Subway, with contractors inspecting the work of contractors, "self-certifying" their own construction? Let's hope they choose to protect public safety.

Steve Lee is the president of the Professional Engineers in California Government, which represents 13,000 state-employed engineers and related professionals.